A Server Told a Gay Couple They Couldn't Share Dessert Because It "Didn't Go With the Ambience"

Ron Gage and Henry McKinnon were out to what was an innocent, casual dinner at The Prime Rib on Aug. 17 when they asked their server for two spoons to share a sundae. Instead, the server told them they would get the sundae in separate dishes because "It wouldn't look right with two gentlemen eating out of the same sundae. It doesn't go with the ambience of the restaurant."

The couple, who ate at The Prime Rib restaurant in Washington DC, told The Washington Post that until that moment, they were on good terms with the server. They even made jokes with him. After his comment, however, 55-year-old Gage and 58-year-old McKinnon were shaken and left only a 15 percent tip, instead of their usual 20. They didn't address it with the manger, but posted about the incident on Facebook and Yelp.

"We were speechless," Gage told The Washington Post. "We weren't expecting it." However, the manager of the restaurant, James MacLeod, chalked up the incident to a language barrier. MacLeod told The Washington Post the server's first language is not English, which he believes could have created a miscommunication. "The waiter in question is Bulgarian, and he does speak four different languages," MacLeod said. "I am not sure if he got confused as to what he was saying, or how he was saying it." MacLeod added that he would be reaching out to Gage and McKinnon and does not support discriminatory behavior.

Whether the server's comment was malicious or not, the incident serves as another reminder that speaking up to protect LGBTQ+ rights is as necessary as ever.